41 Club October 2022 Newsletter

Lestweforget.

This is the October Newsletter but the November one will come out towards the end of the month, long after Remembrance Sunday, so I think its only right to say a few words on it here. I havecommemoratedRemembranceSundayinvariouswaysover the years - as a Scout Leader I have led my Scouts through the streetsofmyhometowninBeckenhamtoourWarMemorialfor our local commemoration. Prior to that I had the honour as Chairman of City of London Round Table 13 to take part in the Round Table delegation at the Cenotaph, in Whitehall; and last yearIhadthehonourofbeingpartofthe41Clubdelegationat the Cenotaph. Next year I hope to be at the National Memorial Arboretum, which I haven't attended yet. (Why not this year? Because this year I shall be at the re-chartering of RT13 Graz in Austria!)

ThismonthIhaveputtheWinterMagazinetoprint-itshouldbe hitting your in-box in the next few days, and your door mats for thosewhowantahardcopyinthenextfewweeks.Webrought theWintereditionforwardthisyearinordertodoaspecialjoint editionwithTangent.

PresidentJimhasbeensettinganewWorldRecordwiththeother RTFamilyPresidents(ortheirstand-inasthecasemightbe).

Andthatbringsusnicelytothis51-pageNewsletter.

No rest for the wicked though - our intrepid 41 Club explorers reached Everest Base Camp this morning. I don't want to delay thisissueoftheNewslettertoreportonitbutyouwillhaveafull report in the November issue. they have all done magnificently and deserve your support for their charitable endeavours. Do spare a thought for Marcus Jones, their number 1 cheerleader whohadintendedtobepartofthepartyuntilitwasdelayedfirst by Covid then on his part by surgery. We know your heart was thereMarcus. Keepsafe. YoursinContinuedFriendshipandContinuedTabling,

Mullane,

NATIONAL PRESIDENT JIM CONWAY

September was an incredible month packed full of activity.An Online Board Meeting, then a visit to the Moreton in Marsh Show (The largest outdoor one day show in Europe) where Glen Lyon showed off his hairy car that he was driving to Barcelona for Round Table Children’s Wish, my Presidential Charity.

On our trip around Iceland, the one and only Barry Durman, the 41 Club International Vice President swore blind he did not fall asleep, but he exacted his revenge on the main staircase of the Borealis a little later.

It was then off on the 41 Club Cruise with Fred Olsen. 40 odd 41ers, Tangent Members and partners sailed out of Liverpool and off to Iceland and the Faroe Islands. It was a mix of drinking, eating, being entertained, doing shore excursions and just relaxing. Fred Olsen offer fantastic discounts for 41 Club members and if you are interested, contact Kelly Clarke our Fellowship Officer for further details.Our next cruise is a French River Cruise and the joy of departing from a UK port is that you are not restricted by the airline baggage limits.

As well as celebrating Kevin Stewart’s belated 50th Birthday on board, we managed to visit the beautiful scenery around Iceland as well as visit the Hard Rock Hotel in Reykjavik.

The Month was nicely rounded off with my attendance at the National Camping and Caravan Weekend. Whilst I don’t own a caravan and having experienced an evening under canvas last month, we decided to opt for a static caravan, which we shared with Steve James and Kelly Clarke and our wives. Trips, walks and entertainment was brilliantly put together by Richard Dyson and the Ringwood team. Richard won the President’s Tie for the best contribution by a National Councillor to the Association.

As soon as we finished the cruise, it was off to Heather Parry’s Charity Lunch in Baildon, where we were entertained at Hoyle Court. A fabulous afternoon amongst friends.

All FORE! One: St Neots retain the Claret Jug to win the 2022 41Club National Golf Tournament

Another excellent weekend of the three golfing ‘F’s - Fun, Fellowship and ‘Effing bunkers’ was enjoyed by all the golfers at the Annual National Golf Tournament at Staverton Golf Club & Hotel in Daventry on the 2nd & 3rd October.

The weather behaved itself, and the picturesque parkland Championship Course threw up some challenging but fair tests for everyone.

Sunday held the main event, where the format was a best three of four-ball Stapleford scores with both team and individual prizes. National President Jim Conway saw all the teams tee off in the morning and joined us again in the evening for dinner and to present the prizes.

Congratulations to the winners from last year St Neots 41 Club who pulled out all the stops and played some great golf in retaining the Claret Jug to see off all other teams from across the Association. Well done to Colin Arber, Justus Leddin, Richard Thomas and Paul Smith for posting a winning total of 118 points.

The other prizes for day one were Richard Thomas for the Longest Drive and Tony Cramp of Shirley Late Knights won both ‘Nearest The Pins’.

A special ‘lanterne rouge’ prize was awarded to Tim Brown of Shirley Late Knights – a book titled “501 excuses for a bad tee shot”!

Runners-up were the combined team representing Dereham Sheringham & Cromer 41 Clubs, made up of Stuart Bizley, Graham Howe, Richard Turner and Philip Moy – who scored an impressive team total of 110 points. The Individual Trophy went to Stuart Bizley who for a 41 Club trophy scored a very appropriate 41 points! Runner up in the individual competition went to Paul Smith with 36 points.

St Neots - the victors (retained the trophy)t The Runners Up - a super team from Dereham, Sheringham & Cromer 41 Clubst

Stuart Bizley, Individual Winner.

Tim Brown - lanterne rouge.

Brentwood 41 Club - Winners of Day 2t

by Peter McBride – National Membership & Round Table Liaison Officer

– ‘Orange

Double Points’. Each team was given an

orange

scored double. If or when

team

Brentwood 41 Club

Tony Clark, Gordon Selfe, Graham Twine and Peter McAllister who posted an awesome 144 points. Runners-up were the team from Dereham Sheringham & Cromer Clubs with 134 points.

The remaining prizes for

went to Graham Twine for the Longest Drive, with the two Nearest The Pins being won by Justus Leddin and Gordon Selfe.

Thanks

play well myself – well, as the organiser I couldn’t win my

all golfers, regardless how they scored.. Personally, I’m sure

Round Table Family sets a New World Record for fastest visit to every football ground (40 of them) in the SPL

Jim Conway, set off from Ross County Football Club on Tuesday 11th October on an attempt to set a World Record for the fastest time to visit the home grounds of all 42 Scottish Professional Football League clubs. He was joined in this by Heather Parry, Tangent National President, Fiona Bull, Ladies Circle National President, and Wynn Parry, NCLO and Region 6 National Councillor (and Heather’s husband) who stepped in to represent RTBI when Matt Fallon, RTBI National President had to withdraw due to work commitments.

Jim was raising funds on behalf of his national charity, Round Table Children’s Wish (which I’m sure you are all ware is a charity dedicated to granting handcrafted wishes to children and young people with life threatening illnesses across Britain and Ireland). Heather and Fiona were each collecting for their respective charities.

Did they get around all 40 grounds (four clubs ground share)? Of course they ended when they arrived the next day at Annan Athletic Football Club, after 25 hours and 32 minutes

Jim thanks everyone who supported them on this great undertaking. The highlights for Jim included meeting the clubs who came out to support them with donation cheques, and meeting Paul Thompson the IPNP of RTBI (accompanied by his wife Nicola) who drove up from Hartlepool to greet Jim and the others for 10-mins at Hibs’ ground in Edinburgh, before driving all the way home again; and being stopped by the police in Govan!

That last comment is best explained by Jim’s subsequent Facebook post: Just been stopped by the police in Govan… Apparently the car was going to be lifted as we had been seen engaging in suspicious activities in Edinburgh last night with a gentleman from the North of England…

When Wynn started to explain what we were doing and then dropped Paul Thompson’s name into the conversation he was put under caution and read his rights…

The car occupants were equally stunned and disappointed that we were not going to be able to finish the journey…

Then he said he could either arrest us or let us off because we were members of the Round Table Family… Nicely played by Andy Thorne with his cap pulled down so we couldn’t see his face… I think it is the first time a car called a policeman a b*****d and then leapt out of the car to give him a big hug…

Twinning Over The Years - Adopt, Adapt, Improve

The Round Table Families from Market Harborough and Halle are in their 7th decade of Twinning with each Club visiting the other every alternate year. Over the years it has ebbed and flowed but because we have been able to Adopt, Adapt and Improve we are still going strong. But would we survive not meeting since 2019 because of the pandemic??

The 60s

The first mention we can find of Twinning is in our Round Table minutes of 4th May 1963 when it was suggested we invite Tablers from Brussels Round Table for a weekend of Fellowship. Obviously, geography was not a strength for the Tablers of Market Harborough because the Belgian Round Table was in fact in Halle, 20 kilometres south of Brussels - thank goodness they also speak English!!

We know Halle Round Table (17) also had a connection with Wolverhampton Round Table (17), so it looks like it was a “numbers game” but we can’t find any details - is there anybody out there who can help us?

The first get together was in May 1964 when 8 Round Tablers from Halle, 4 with their wives, visited Market Harborough and as the original Round Table minutes say “The Saturday evening May 16th will take the form of a Dinner and Dance at Springfield Lodge (price 15/-)”

The 70s and 80s

Market Harborough was no different to the rest of the countrywe had a very strong Round Table and Ladies Circle and so did Halle. So, each year would regularly see large numbers of visitors crossing the Channel by ferry to have great weekends together.

There are around 80 people in this photograph from 1976, and quite a number are still in Market Harborough 41 Club and Tangent today.

And it wasn’t all serious. Whispering Grass from two Market Harborough Round Tablers and the Belgians winning at football (again).

BY

The 90s and the Noughties

Whilst the number of Tablers around the country was levelling off and then declining, Market Harborough Round Table was still going strong and some of our older Tablers were now making a name for themselves in 41 Club. The relationships that 41ers had built up over the years with friends from Halle meant there were sufficient numbers and enough enthusiasm for both Round Table and 41 Club to have separate Twinning weekends.

Ralph Preston

Twinning Over The Years - continued/...

The Teens

Numbers ebbed and flowed in both Clubs and there were one or two years where we didn’t meet up. So, we decided to bring everybody from Market Harborough and Halle together to have a “Big Bang” 50th Twinning Anniversary celebration in 2014 in true style with a 60s Anniversary Party.

Over 80 people (including Dave Campbell who was 41 Club National IRO at the time and his wife Pauline) came along and we had such a great time that Twinning weekends continued with all the Round Table Family Clubs meeting up. And then came Covid 19………

The 20s

So, how would we shape up once we could all get back together – and would we get back together?

There aren’t as many of us as before and the mix is different –it was largely Market Harborough 41 Club and Tangent and Halle Round Table and Ladies Circle - but the 2022 weekend in Market Harborough brought back all the Fun and Fellowship we have enjoyed over the years. The crowning glory was 40 of us enjoying dinner followed by a Silent Disco – a new experience for some of us but what a hoot!!! If you haven’t done a Silent Disco before, try it, its great entertainment. You can either dance to the music only you hear or watch others waving their hands around in silence.

If you’ve never tried International and want to dip your toe in the water, now’s your chance. In May next year, 41 INTERNATIONAL is coming to Stratford-upon-Avon. Give it a try – you’ll have a great time and make lots of new friends from around the world.

Here’s the Market Harborough 41 Club and Tangent crew in 2005

we finally won the football

And here’s Market Harborough and Halle Round Tables at Round Table’s Area 45 (Midland Shires) Hi Tiddle event in 2007.

And Halle Round Table will be coming along to next year’s Hi Tiddle which Market Harborough Round Table and 41 Club are organising.

President's Ball

Our Honorary Webmaster, Mark House, is stepping down and Applications are invited

Mark has done an exemplary job as Honorary Webmaster. Going forward National Council is looking to appoint instead an Honorary I.T. Officer who would be an IT Professional who would administer the Association's whole IT infrastructure, on a voluntary (i.e. unpaid!) basis. The job description should be agreed in the near future but we are inviting expressions of interest now. Anyone interested please contact me, Don Mullane, at comms@41Club.org and I will explain the role in more detail.

Applications are invited for the role of Honorary Solicitor for the Association

Our Honorary Solicitor, David Smith, has announced his intention to retire from this position with effect from the 2023 Annual General Meeting in Jersey, after five years of service to National Council. We are grateful for the advice and assistance that David has given to National Board and Council in this period, and we are now seeking to replace him. We are inviting applications from suitably qualified 41 Club members to take over this position as from the 2023 AGM.

What the role

Advice to National Board and Council on the interpretation of Constitution, Rules and Standing Orders.

Assistance with drafting changes to rules in the form of resolutions for the Annual General Meeting.

Advice and support to National Board in situations giving rise to actual or potential litigation.

Advice on contracts entered into by the Association with outside parties.

Any other legal or constitutional advice as requested by National Council, individual Councillors and Clubs in furtherance of their activities.

What we are looking for The Board invite applications from members of 41 Club who have legal qualifications and experience of the legal profession. Previous experience of National Council would be an advantage, as the post holder would be expected to have a sound understanding of 41 Club constitution, rules and standing orders.

The Honorary Solicitor would be a non voting member of National Council and expected to attend National Council meetings. Weekend allowance and travel expenses can be claimed.

So, you think you fit the bill?

Send a message to Bernard Elwen, National Secretary secretary@41club.org setting out your legal qualifications and experience, your Round Table and 41 Club career, and why you think you would be an asset to National Council. Please submit by 30th November 2022.

For more information, contact David Smith, whose contact details are on the 41Club website here: https://41club.org/pages/solicitor-contact

I have previously asked for volunteers to step forward for these vacant regions but as yet no-one has. If you would now like to apply for one of these vacancies, please contact me at Councillorliaison@41club.org

In addition to these vacant Regions, at the AGM due to held in Jersey in April 2023 another five regions will have their National Councillors completing their terms of Office. These are namely:

Region 4 - North East

Region 6 - Yorkshire

Region 10 - East Midlands

Region 13 - South Wales

Region 20 - Thames Valley

In December, I will be contacting all members of the above regions to ask for volunteers to fulfil these roles.

Upon appointment the National Councillor’s duties include:

· The role of the National Councillor is to be the conduit between National Council and the Clubs within the Region for which the Councillor is appointed, sharing information in both directions

· Visiting 2 clubs within the Region per month in addition to attending his own Club meetings Attending 3 out of 4 National Council Meetings, usually in July, October, February and at the AGM in April

· A National Councillor will typically be appointed to one of the committees headed by are member of the Board, these are: Forward Planning, Comms & IT, Membership, Finance, Fellowship, International, and Admin. These committees undertake projects/tasks/initiatives to improve and enhance our Association.

I have a National Councillors handbook which describes the role of the National Councillor in more detail. If you are interested in applying for the role of a National Councillor, please contact me at Councillorliaison@41club.org

Wynn Parry, National Council Liaison Officer, Region 6 National Councillor, Yorkshire

On the 5th September, 47 Members of 41 Club & Tangent Clubs set sail from Liverpool on the SS Borealis, travelling to the coastlines of Iceland and the Faroes for 11 nights. We left on a cool, grey day knowing we were off on holiday, with wonderful times ahead and beautiful places to visit. Accompanied by many members we already knew, we knew we would have a great holiday and would make more friends along the way.

Not being keen on sea travel, I was unsure as to how much I would enjoy the 1217 nautical miles journey (1400 miles) but I didn’t need to concern myself We were very lucky with most of the sailing being reasonably calm, apart from the middle of one night when it did get a little bumpy shall we say!

Stuart & I had decided to book several guided tours, covering six out of the ten days we were at sea. These were optional and some members chose to do their own thing. On previous holidays we have booked guided tours which have been superb, as they have taken us to places, and parts of a country, we may never have seen without a guide. It has to be said that Iceland is not a cheap destination but having agreed that we may never go again we went for it.

Our first tour, on day 4, was to Reykjavik for the Golden Circle 8.5-hours tour. Whilst much time was spent on the coach, we saw such beautiful scenery, with lots of photo opportunities and a good soaking if you got too close to Strokkur, a fountain-type geyser located in a geothermal area beside the Hvítá River, and the stunningly beautiful Gullfoss waterfalls. The following day started a fraction later with a tour of panoramic Reykjavik, our first stop being at the Hallgrimskirja church, whose unique design was inspired by the basalt lava columns. We continued with our rather damp bus tour until we reached the home of the Icelandic President, where the Icelandic flag was at half-mast, our wonderful Queen having passed away only the day before.

Day 6 was spent at sea, sailing 558 miles from Reykjavik to Akureyri. Day 7’s scenic tour was hampered slightly by the damp conditions but once we arrived at Laufas Regional Museum the drizzle was forgotten. Laufás turf house now belongs to the National Museum of Iceland and is run by the Akureyri Museum. What a remote, yet beautiful little place to visit. We returned to Akureyri, completing our tour with visits to the church and Nonni museums; it was like going back in time. Day 8 was somewhat more energetic, after all it was a hike. However this wasn’t quite what I had envisaged, as it was steeper than I thought, so having made two thirds of the hike, I ducked out and left Stuart to complete the adventure. Apparently I had just as good a view of Hengifoss waterfall from the seat I found, so why challenge yourself unnecessarily!

Day 9 and we have arrived in Klaksvik, The Faroes, where we took a guided hike to Klakkur Summit. A different day altogether beautiful sunny blue skies, warm sunshine, less of an incline with easier paths and wonderful views of the spectacular landscape of the neighbouring islands of Eysturoy, Kallsoy and Kunoy. Day 10 in Torshavn for the Streymoy Sill Hiking didn’t go quite to plan, so our guide re-routed our walk, which was a shortened version across fields, hills and streams, and still very pleasant until the rain caught up with us for the last five minutes.

The days at sea soon passed as there was always something happening – music, talks, quizzes, wine tastings – Stuart & I did two of these, for those who know us you will not be surprised by that. This was our first sea cruise and we were impressed with what the Fred Olsen experience had to offer. We shall definitely sail with them again the future. Plus, we enjoyed the company of ‘old’ 41 Club and Tangent friends, as well as making some wonderful new friends. We enjoyed great times, with excellent company, and brought home some lovely memories.

Ringwood 2022

by Ken Banfield

Steve James, National Vice President

seen for a while. Well done to everyone involved for organising an excellent event.

I am taking the opportunity this month to visit a number of local 41 Clubs in South Wales and at the time of writing this report have so far attended Mumbles 41 Club with National Councillor John Bell. If anyone happens to be visiting South Wales I would highly recommend checking if Mumbles have a meeting because their meeting venue, Mumbles Yacht club has to have one of the finest views in the country and they are excellent hosts where the fun and fellowship at the meetings are second to none.

We are now half way through the 41 Club year and preparations for my Presidential year are “beginning with earnest”. I am fortunate to have a great group of individuals on my Presidential Liaison Committee who are making sure that everything is in place and the year runs as smoothly as possible. Following Jim’s presidential ball, I am pleased to announce that my charity ball will take place on Saturday 1st July at the Hilton Hotel Cardiff, I guarantee everyone who attends will have a warm Welsh welcome We have some great entertainment lined up and tickets can be purchased by visiting https://stevejames.wales/

If anyone wishes for me to attend a function or club meeting next year, bookings can also be made by visiting my website.

Yours in Continued Friendship & Continued Tabling,

Steve James, National Vice President

Club Hosts

The 48th Anniversary Dinner of Dorset Knobs

Dad’s Army Theme

Dorchester 41 Club is hosting the 48th Anniversary Dinner of Dorset Knobs the annual dinner of the 41 Clubs across Dorset after a three year break. The event is taking place on Friday 18th November 2022 in the town’s Army Reserve Centre with the opportunity of a free private tour of the nearby Military Museum. To emphasise the fun and fellowship of the event the hosts are introducing a Dad’s Army theme to the evening. The ticket cost is £44 to include a four course meal, wine and port and souvenir programme For enquiries and tickets please contact Neal Butterworth at butterworth69@live com

· Location Army Reserve Centre, Poundbury Road, Dorchester DT1 1TA

· Date Friday 18th November 2022 with drinks reception from 6.00pm, dinner at 7.30pm

· Free private tour of The Keep Military Museum from 4.30pm to 6.30pm

· Dress Black Tie and medals of course

· Dinner Pate, Roast Dorset Pork, Treacle Tart, Dorset Knob biscuits and Dorset Blue Vinny cheese, tea or coffee (vegetarian option available order at time of ticket purchase)

· Wine and port on the table

Special Guest 41 Club National President, Jim Conway

· Speaker National Town Crier Champion and Local Historian Alistair Chisholm

· Charity Raffle

· Tickets priced at £44 available from Neal Butterworth at butterworth69@live.com

Payment details Dorchester 41 Club Sort Code 401921 Account 01403613 (please add purchasers name as a reference)

reallyenjoyedgettingoffmylittlerocktothe“mainland”(howwerefertoUKinJersey),theeveningwasextremelywellchoreographed byVickiCarterBland,andIhadthepleasureofsurprisingmanytherewhowerenotexpectingtoseeme!SomethoughtIwasasecret agentaka007sentovertofindouthowyouparty!

What a party it was with really great entertainment Bond girls gyrating in oversized champagne glasses, blindfold man axe throwingtohisladyassistantringingabellforthetarget(whichhealwaysseemedtobetwofeetawayfrom,goodjobtheaxesmissed her),firejugglingextraordinairesandwenowknowhowJimtravels withVickyhiddeninbootofhiscar Sorry,youprobablywon’t understandthatifyouweren’tthere.AsJimsaidtomeafterwards“Beatthatnextyear!”whichImustadmitgivesusabigchallenge whichwewillrisetoaccomplish,foryourentertainmentduring2023Conference Toupdateyouabout2023ConferenceIampleasedtoreportthefollowing:

Travel to Jersey: Blue Islands have now released their flight schedules for next year flying to Jersey from Exeter, Birmingham, Southampton,BristolandEastMidlands.IfyouarecomingfromfurtherupnorthEasyjetareprobablyyourbestoptionflyingtoJersey fromLiverpool,ManchesterandGlasgow.It’salsoworthlookingatLoganairformoreoptionsfromupnorth,suchasNewcastle.

will have to

longer for Condor Ferries Spring 2023 sailing schedule, although instead flying to Jersey is strongly

you can hire a car instead of suffering the 412 hours sea

OruseourbusnetworkgoingtoallcornersofJerseyfromLiberationStation

Thiswillensurewelinkyouradditional

for your

the

Ilookforwardtowelcomingyou

IT'S OKAY TO CALL FOR HELP

Feeling down? Fed up? Just want to chat? Phone a 41 Club Buddy today We are here to listen Seven days a week 10am – 10pm

Your call will be anonymous - we are here for any 41 Club member who wants to chat about anything that is worrying them.You may be feeling lonely or isolated; you may have lost touch with your 41 Club. Anything. We are friendly fellow 41 Club members and are here for you.

You are not alone - you are part of 41 Club

Crowne Plaza,

The National President's Charity for 2022-2023

Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to benefit Round Table Children's Wish Limited, and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

More information about Round Table Children's Wish Limited: It is a very small charity that grants handcrafted wishes to children who are suffering from life threatening illnesses across the UK. The children we support are between the ages of 4 and 17, and are suffering from illnesses such as Brain Tumors, Leukemia, Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy, organ failure and other degenerative illnesses.

You can donate on-line AND with the benefit of tax relief at https://www.gofundme.com/f/41-clubnational-presidents-charity-20223

You can help by buying a copy of Jim's Joke Book on Amazon using the link below, available in Hardcover at £19 99

Paperback at £9.99 and Kindle at £7.99

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Presidents-JokeBook-Jim-Conway/dp/B09RM5KP9G/